# Coleman 40qt thermoelectric cooler?!? Sweet.



## iRace559 (Aug 27, 2009)

I was walking through Walmart and noticed a big sale on these thermo-electric coolers. There were down from $94 to I think $84 ish. Im in the market for a bigger humi, but really can't go for a vinotemp right now. This is the perfect poor mans vinotemp. 


Heres a link: GRRRRRR I cant post links yet. Search for "Coleman PowerChill 40-Quart Thermoelectric Cooler with Power Supply"

Heres the specs:

This powerful cooler cools to 40 degrees below the surrounding temperature, Perfect for the office, dorm rooms, RV's, campers and truck cabs.

Coleman 40Qt HVTE Cooler with Power Supply
Cools to 40 degrees below the surrounding temperature
Perfect for the office, dorm rooms, RV's, campers and truck cabs
So quiet you'll forget it's running
Adjustable shelf divider
Molded handles for easy lifting and carrying
Roomy interior holds 2-liter bottles upright
Patented adjustable door opens on right or left side
Transitions easily from horizontal to vertical
Use the included power supply for 120 volt household voltage and the 12v plug on the road
Anyone have any experience with these?



Thanks,

Chris


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## R10 (Oct 4, 2009)

Haven't seen them before, but looks interesting...


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## fiddlegrin (Feb 8, 2009)

Hiya Chris,

I don't have any experience with that unit, although it looks useful...

Usually these types of coolers have less insulative qualities than normal "passive" coolers.

Does it have an adjustable thermostat?

Will it heat the interior?

I used to have one years ago that could cool or heat...

Best wishes, _Dafiddla_

Don't forget about R.H. and low temperatures;

"So, to be able to know what is happening with our cigars at temperatures other than 70 degrees F, we must use a table of adjusted relative humidity values to make sure that our humidors keep our cigars in the peak of condition. 
So the following holds true: 
Temp Water Vapor Pressure Relative Humidity Required
for 100% saturated to equal 70% RH at 70 degrees (13.15mmHg)

60 13.26 99.17%
61 13.73 95.78%
62 14.23 92.41%
63 14.74 89.21%
64 15.27 86.12%
65 15.81 83.18%
66 16.37 80.33%
67 16.95 77.58%
68 17.55 74.93%
69 18.17 72.37%
70 18.79 70.00%
71 19.45 67.61%
72 20.11 65.39%
73 20.81 63.19%
74 21.51 61.13%
75 22.25 59.10%
76 23.00 57.17%
77 23.78 55.30%
78 24.59 53.48%
79 25.40 51.77%
80 26.67 49.31%"


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## eyesack (Jul 19, 2009)

GUI-NEA-PIG! GUI-NEA-PIG! 
Alternatively, you might want to check squee-bay.


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## gjcab09 (Jul 12, 2009)

fiddlegrin said:


> Hiya Chris,
> 
> I don't have any experience with that unit, although it looks useful...
> 
> Usually these types of coolers have less insulative qualities than normal "passive" coolers.


I've got one, it holds the rh well when it's unplugged.



fiddlegrin said:


> Does it have an adjustable thermostat?


No, it will cool down to its maximum and hold there, is dependent on ambient temperature. I got mine down to -10 degrees F by leaving it outside running in the dead of winter one time...at least that's when the motor froze up. Worked fine again after it warmed up.



fiddlegrin said:


> Will it heat the interior?


Yes, but it requires flipping the plug on the power unit.



fiddlegrin said:


> I used to have one years ago that could cool or heat...
> 
> Best wishes, _Dafiddla_
> 
> Don't forget about R.H. and low temperatures;


If you cool this thing down with its motor, humidity will spike dramatically when you unplug it (no on off switch).

I love mine, without the cooling feature, too much hassle with it plugged in.
Hope that's helpful, good luck!
Rod

*afterthought* The motor housing also extends into the interior of the cooler, limiting useable space. Mine had been sitting around acquiring dust for years, if this is a new purchase, I think you'd be better off to just get a regular cooler.



fiddlegrin said:


> "So, to be able to know what is happening with our cigars at temperatures other than 70 degrees F, we must use a table of adjusted relative humidity values to make sure that our humidors keep our cigars in the peak of condition.
> So the following holds true:
> Temp Water Vapor Pressure Relative Humidity Required
> for 100% saturated to equal 70% RH at 70 degrees (13.15mmHg)
> ...


Great humidity table!


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## ejgarnut (Sep 28, 2009)

I have a similar cooler in use in my truck. These things are great for keeping your drinks cool. Wouldnt use it for cigars unless you like them soggy. The TEM produces a good bit of condensation that will drip down on your sticks.


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## d32 (Jan 26, 2010)

to reseruct an old thread, just got one of these..kinda pricy at 94bucks, but it is portable, light, and can run off dc which fits my need so gonna see if i can make it work. 

looks well build, plastic is rugged, seal looks good. the no temp setting kinda stinks..going to try to putting a thermostat in it. was able to get house temp - 40 deg as stated in 3hrs...so cools at about 13deg/hr. just ran a test with it unplugged, and it warmed at the same rate (83 deg house) 

so to stay at an even temp it will have to overcome 12deg/hr heat loss so to keep getting colder and colder it was fighting this heat loss, and still managed to cool at 13 deg an hour..so running it can cool 26 deg equilivent i guess..so to keep even temp it will have to run approx 50% of the time 

will see if a house wall thermostat will be enough to control it without to much on and off or I have an basic stamp module somewhere with a therometer chip i can play with for fun. guess I better humidity levels too before drilling holes


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## d32 (Jan 26, 2010)

finished the thermostat mod today. I am not an electronics guy, this is crude but it is working.

used an $11 thermostat from home depot. had to solder up a relay board to invert the signal (thermostat turned on the circuit when it was to cold, fridge needs it on when to hot). 

For switching the fridge on and off, I used an extra AC relay board ($12) i had from cnc4pc.com. This board is wired to an AC socket and turns it on and off when the low power thermostat circuit turns on. 

The batteries on the board are what was inside the thermostat. I desoldered the carriers and moved them external so I can monitor them and so no corrosion/leakage concerns. They said the batteries should last about 11 mos when used conventially, will see how long the batteries last in this setup.

The relay board is powered with an old 5v laptop power supply. If i wasnt just digging through my parts bin to make this, i think i would have used a PC power supply to power the thermostat, relay board, and used a DC relay to turn the power to the cooler on and off, might have been able to directly power the DC cooler too. 

For monitoring I put the remote temp sensor in there that was from a an outdoor house monitor. temp is staying within a degree or two of target.
it is off for 10 minutes, on for 8 which is as expected from the heat loss/cooling power calcs mentioned in teh last post. (house temp 81)

I did put a guard over the electronics. it was the bottom plastic housing from an old cable modem that i stole the barrel connector off of used for the relay board power connector. 

better than having to keep the AC on in my bedroom all the time which was driving me crazy anyway.

edit: with the cooler horizontal it is on 8 off 16, and temp is staying within 0.3 deg (never even plugged hole for wires)


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## Benaj85 (Feb 5, 2010)

Nice! Way to use what you have laying around!


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## soonersublime (Jun 26, 2010)

Looks like you have read a few wiring diagrams before.


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## d32 (Jan 26, 2010)

I know just enough electronics to be dangerous lol. 

figured out a new design today, will use a 12v to 3v dc-dc converter ($14) and a cheap relay and control it all on the 12v side. will be able to remove the battery circuit, have a much smaller profile and should be simple enough anyone can make the mod for about 25 bucks. Also will then still be able to use it in the car while traveling which was main thing i bought it for anyway (rv)


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## d32 (Jan 26, 2010)

forgot to post the followup. The 12v control circuit was easier to wire and can probably be cheaper if you scrounge all the parts except the cnc4pc board.

write up here:

http://sandsprite.com/blogs/index.php?uid=10&pid=78

Another brother was so kind as to point me to the commercial Johnson control unit which is probably the best way to go

Amazon.com: Johnson Controls Manual Thermostat Control Unit: Kitchen & Dining


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## TonyBrooklyn (Jan 28, 2010)

Nice job great description and pictures!


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